Is the 7-year itch a myth or fact?

The seven-year itch has been a phrase synonymous with marital disaster since the 1950s...

So is there anything to it? Statistically, yes. Studies have shown that most couples will express some decline of happiness and satisfaction in the first 10 years of marriage. It turns out there are generally two marital humps to get over in that first decade. The first phase usually hits around year 4 when the fireworks and passion start to fade for many couples. The second phase of marital strife usually struck between year 7 and 8.

Some anthropologists have a seemingly logical explanation for these predictable speed bumps. 4 years is the average time-span humans need to meet, birth a child and rear it through infancy. Our stone-age ancestors may have found that a perfectly natural time to move on and do it all over again, elsewhere.

For modern couples who make it past 4 years – statistics show that 7.2 years is the median duration of marriages that ultimately end in divorce. If you make it over the first 2 humps, watch out for year 18. That’s the next common year to call it quits.